The Ginger Contradiction
by Khaz-Calowiel
Summary: SEQUEL TO RUMOUR OF TRUTH. OC Duendei is seven months old now and the secrets that surround her won't stay hidden for long once she steps out into the Jellicle World. Rated T to cover anything one blase OC may say...
1. Hips

**Hey! this is a sequel to RUMOUR OF TRUTH. This time, about Duendei as she grows up in a place where her colouration ties her to Macavity: the Mystery cat in the eyes of her tribe. That, combined with her shyness is not exactly a popularity beacon. But there are always those who can see past the ginger. Or are colour-blind... **

**CATS belongs to ALW and TSE.**  
**Any jellicle cats or references belong to TSE and ALW.**  
**Tumblebrutus belongs to TSE and maybe ALW.**  
**I own Duendei and Jigyond, should he appear. I really do have no idea where this story is going. I'm leaving that up to Lavie. (The pennykettle dragon, not the fanfiction author... that would be me)**  
**-and any passing references made at Artemis/Kirikat belong to AriaCloudrunner. **

"Tanti! You promised!" Duendei pouted. She folded her arms across her chest and pouted at her adopted mother. Of course Duendei didn't know that Tantomile and Coricopat weren't her real parents, and was too young to think it strange that her parents were siblings. The only clue Tantomile had ever had the heart to give her was that Duendei was to call them by their real names. Never 'mum' and 'dad'.

"Oh, I know. I just _worry_, Beaue." Tantomile's sweet but stern voice was filled with apprehension.  
"Du-en-dei" Duendei sounded out her name. When Tantomile was really worried, she often accidently called Duendei by her first name, which Duendei didn't particularly like. Noticing what her name-slip-up meant, Duendei darted forward into a surprise hug.  
"I'll be okay, Tanti. I'm old enough now to go out by myself."  
"You haven't even seen your first ball yet, young one. That's young enough."  
Duendei flicked her minty eyes up to Tantomile's.  
"Pleeease?" She said, her tail flicking excitedly at the mention of the ball.  
"Alright." Tantomile sighed. "But stay IN the junkyard!"  
"I _will!_ Stop fretting! I'll probably go and look for Cetty or something. She can show me some good places to play!"  
"_I _could show you some good places to play..." Tantomile said, trying desperately to work the hurt out of her voice. Duendei flattened her ears with guilt, by tried to smooth it over with a joke.  
"FUN. Fun involves dirt. I'm not sure you know where to find dirt." Duendei teased.  
"For goodness sake, Duendei! You're a white kit, and not to mention nearly a _queen!_ Surely staining yourself brown is beginning to become embarrassing?" Tantomile exploded with motherly frustration. It wasn't difficult to tell that Tantomile and Duendei weren't related. There wasn't a speck of black in Duendei's vivid ginger and white coat, and the only tan on her was the brown that coated her paws like a sticky dust. But it was a different tan to Tantomile's stripes.  
Nevertheless Tantomile had raised Duendei for all seven months of her short life, and had quickly some to think of her as her own daughter. Only the DNA was missing.  
Duendei giggled and shook her head.  
"You know this means a bath, right?" Tantomile said, now with a cheeky tint to her tone.  
"I like water..." Duendei replied quietly, with wide innocent eyes. Tantomile shuddered, and waved Duendei off.  
"Well, go on then. But be _careful!_"  
Without another word, Duendei bounded from the house and followed the familiar route she and Coricopat usually took to see Cetty.

"Ceeettyyy!" Duendei sang out. "Where aaare you?" She strolled along the stony path, rolling from side to side like the saw the bigger queens do to entice the toms. She wondered if soon she would want to try it out on someone. Or some_tom._  
She rounded the last bend and saw Etcetera and Electra talking to a dainty white queen...  
With a small gasp, Duendei dived into the nearest bunch of bushes, disappearing as she did so. Tantomile did not like it when she turned invisible, as she had been able to do since she was born. It disturbed her. Duendei did not yet know why, but refrained anyway. Except, when she was frightened. Or in this case, nervous and shocked.  
She waited in the bushes, watching every graceful move that the white cat made, with awe. When she finally parted company with Etcetera and Electra, Duendei began to stalk sadly out of the bushes toward her friends.

"Duen_dei!" _Cetty chided. "You have to stop hiding from Vic! She really wants to meet you!"  
"I know... I just-" Duendei began, but Electra cut her off.  
"How can you be terrified of a cat you admire so much!" She squealed.  
"That's just it!" Duendei retorted, her words speeding up because of her nervousness that still hadn't worn off. "I'm terrified that I'll come out and meet her, and I'll do something stupid and mess up and she won't think I'm graceful!" Duendei didn't understand it herself, but she was nearly in tears.  
"Oh Hun. Even when you fall smack on your butt you do it with grace." Etcetera swept Duendei into a friendly hug. Duendei had been desperately striving to be graceful since the first time she had seen Victoria dance. Her biggest want was for Victoria to approve of her grace and say that she was a good dancer. Duendei playfully squirmed out of the hug and thanked Cetty for her kind comment before nuzzling Electra hello.  
"Well, actually kiddo, I gotta go now. I'm meeting Jemima." She said, winking at Cetty. Duendei took that to mean that Jemima was not at all who Electra was meeting, but perhaps some dashing tom instead.  
"I'm just gonna walk her to the road. You stay here and then we'll figure out what mischief we can get up to." She grinned at Duendei, who sat down and grinned inanely back, her tail swishing behind her in anticipation.  
Duendei peered around the small familiar garden while Cetty was gone, desperate to find something to pass the time. No sooner had she started toward a frolicking butterfly when a long brown shape swung out of a tree and barrelled into her, rolling her across the lawn in a tangle of fur and legs.  
Duendei sprang out of the mess with a hiss and landed facing the young brown tom that had knocked her down.

When he saw her scowl, his grin disappeared and e blushed through the brown patch over his right eye.  
"Err... sorry..." He mumbled. "I thought you were Cetty..."  
She continued to stare at him, a scowl firmly on her face, but truthfully Duendei's eyes were scanning him over, taking in how strong he looked. Her earlier question was answered as she looked for an excuse to walk somewhere in order to enticingly roll her hips. She padded over to the lavender bushes in the corner of the yard, with a graceful sway that would surely impress this tom. She turned to pout at him.  
"Well, I'm not!" She said defiantly, instantly feeling stupid. Well Duh. Of _course _she wasn't. That had been established.  
"I know" He brushed it over smoothly, not taking his eyes off her, and walking over to her and the lavender. "I just saw the orange and white and thought..." He said, and shyly distracted himself by sniffing some lavender.  
Duendei peered down at her coat. At the vivid ginger patches and stripes. Cetty's patterns were similar to her own, but there was still no black in Duendei's coat. Besides, Duendei's was an orangey- red, Cetty's gold. But it bled into the same tone soft white, and was edged by the same golden hue.  
Duendei didn't know what to say after that, so she said the only thing she could think of.  
"Well my name's Duendei." She said chirpily, batting her eyelids at the handsome tom. Or maybe he was a kit? He looked young enough.  
"I'm Tumblebrutus." He said. "I haven't seen you before. How old are you?"  
She puffed herself up, pushing her semi-developed chest out as far as it would go.  
"Seven months. It will be my first ball this year!" She said, excitement creeping in again.  
Tumblebrutus laughed, but there was no patronising edge to his laugh.  
"You're gonna love it!" He said, grinning at her.  
Duendei deflated a little. He was already a full tom?  
"You've been to a ball?" She said, hiding her anxiety.  
"Yeah, the last one was my first. My brother was the youngest tom there, but not by much. I was just barely in front." He said with a laugh.  
Tumblebrutus's face twisted into a concentrated frown.  
"But... If you're seven months, then you must have been born close to the last ball."  
Duendei thought back to what Tantomile had said, and voiced it to Tumblebrutus.  
"I was born just after the ball. It was only a few days after, I think." Duendei looked up to find that Tumblebrutus was watching her think with an intense expression. She felt colour rise to her cheeks, and turned to sniff the lavender. It always soothed her.  
Tumblebrutus broke the silence.  
"Hey, follow me. I know a fun place!" He said, scampering toward the back trail that led through the tall bushes in the garden and out under the fence.  
"Wait!" Duendei cried. "I'm supposed to wait for Cetty!"  
"Duendei? When are you going to learn to _rebel_ child? Go on- go and have fun you young things you." Duendei spun to see Cetty slinking back onto the scene with an encouraging wink towards her.  
She shot Cetty a 'don't be silly' look, and then darted off to catch up with Tumblebrutus.  
"Where are we going?" She asked, once they were out and heading down an unused track by the creek.  
"It's a surprise!" He said, mysteriously, leaning in close to her.  
She spun her head away so he wouldn't see the blush rising in her cheeks again.  
She followed, him excitedly down through the parkland, her hips swaying the entire way.


	2. Du

**I've redone this chapter!**  
**Because I'm clever, I finally sat down to write this chapter that's given me so much of an evil block!... Only to find that I'd alwready finished it and posted it. *facepalm***  
**But I liked the newer version better, so I combined my favourtie elements of both versions and here it is!**  
**Now I can start chapter 3 ^^**

**I don't own CATS  
I do own Duendei.  
Have a boring disclaimer XD**

* * *

Duendei and Tumblebrutus walked in silence for a good length. The marshy ground below their paws was cool and comfortable as the got closer to the water. Occasionally, she glanced at Tumblebrutus, wondering to herself why he made her break into a grin and her tummy jump.  
It couldn't just be because he was a tom. Coricopat was a tom. So there had to be more to it? Maybe it was because this tom wasn't one she was used to being around. Or perhaps, more likely, it was the sense of adventure this tom had thrown her into.  
She tried to convince herself this was so.  
She chanced another glance at Tumblebrutus, but found his warm brown eyes staring into her own. She gave a start and speedily looked away.  
But curiosity and embarrassment caused her to look back at him once more, a sheepish grin on her (probably flushed) face.  
A strangely excited feeling passed over her as she saw that the tom cat had turned away also- and was biting his lip with a flush just visible through the dark brown patch over his cheek.  
Feeling her gaze on him again, he turned back and they exchanged meek smiles.  
Tumblebrutus cleared his throat.  
"So…" He began nonchalantly. "Got any siblings?"  
Duendei, relieved from the awkwardness that the silence had just taken on, shook her head.  
"No. Just me." She added a cute grin onto the end of the sentence. Tumblebrutus was silent for a moment before he stopped and turned to her with a frown.  
"I was sure you had a sibling! Tantomile cares for two kits right? You and the really weird one." Suddenly his frown was gone, and he bit his lip in embarrassment, as he realised that there really was only _one _kit.  
"How am I weird?" She burst out, pouting at the older cat. She didn't bother playing dumb; she just wanted to finally know why all the other kits her age ignored her.  
"Err… "But Tumblebrutus was cut off when there was a rustle in a bush next to the path and a small, striped ball of brown fur barrelled into Tumblebrutus, sending him sprawling to the ground.  
With a gasp, Duendei dived into the bushes and pulled her disappearing act while she watched Tumblebrutus spring out off the muddle and pin the younger tom.  
Tumblebrutus breathed heavily, working out his fright. The younger tom, who looked a lot like Tumblebrutus himself, simply stared up at the older tom with a cheeky grin.  
"Whatcha doin?" He said, clearly not the least bit phased to be pinned down.  
"Pouncival!" Tumblebrutus scolded, ignoring the question. "You scared me half to death!"  
"Nearly pinned ya' too!" Pouncival said with a wink.  
Tumblebrutus let him up.  
"Did not." He retorted with a pout.  
"Ah, I said almost, brother... Say..." He paused "What are you doing out here alone?" Pouncival, who was apparently Tumblebrutus's brother, inquired.  
Tumblebrutus gave a start, completely oblivious to the fact that Pouncival was also here alone.  
"I'm not... alone" Tumblebrutus began to peer around, searching for the ginger kitten.  
Pouncival simply frowned and observed.  
After allowing Tumblebrutus to search a moment, Duendei worked up the courage and slunk out of her bush. As she emerged, she caused alarm to a family of butterflies who took flight around her. She nosed at a pink one to calm herself as she moved out to meet the new tom. His eyebrows shot up around his brown, spiky face patch that ran across the opposite side to Tumblebrutus's own. His wide blue grey eyes looked her up and down, and then shot to his brother, who was now looking at Duendei.  
"I checked that bush!" Tumblebrutus cried, looking at Duendei incredulously.  
Duendei frowned, covering her worry. Tantomile had always warned her not to show other cats her 'powers'. She said they wouldn't understand, and she'd be ridiculed.  
"How did you do that?" He continued. Duendei fought back panic.  
With a deep breath, she pulled on her game face. Sidling up to the older patchy tom, she batted her eyelids.  
"I was deeper in, silly!" She cooed.  
Duendei doubted it was her statement that made Tumblebrutus drop the topic, and Duendei felt a flutter of pride and fear in her chest as he grinned at Pouncival.  
Pouncival grinned and '_ahemed_' loudly as Duendei turned to face him.  
Tumblebrutus sprang to sit between the pair.  
"Pounce; this is Duendei." He grinned at her and then pulled his brother into a headlock which Pouncival squirmed to get out of.  
"And this," He burrowed his fist into the hair between Pouncival's ears, "Is my younger brother Pounce."  
Pounce squirmed free and pouted at Tumblebrutus.  
"Hey! How come I get a nickname and she doesn't?" He said, winking at Duendei. Duendei dipped her head, blushing at the wink. She let both the toms believe it was because of the comment.  
Tumblebrutus chewed his lip in thought.  
"I don't know. Duendei? Do you have a nickname?"  
"A nickname?"  
"You know…" Pounce said, sliding over to her. "A nickname. Duendei's such a mouthful. Something shorter… friendlier." He wrapped an arm around her to emphasis his point. Duendei giggled.  
"I don't have one." She grinned back at him.  
"Surely you have one!" Tumblebrutus said, sliding up to her other side with a sharp look at Pounce. "What does Tanti call you?"  
Duendei scanned her memory, and realised, that most often when Tantomile ever used her name, she used 'Beaue'. Her first name. Well she certainly didn't want to be called that!  
"Just… Duendei" She replied, trying to look innocent  
Brutus twirled around, playfully shoving his little brother aside so he could sit close in front of Duendei.  
"We'll have to give you one then!" He said as Pounce careened into his side again.  
Duendei giggled as the toms tussled.  
"Well, what's your nickname then, Tumblebrutus?" She laughed.  
Tumblebrutus threw his brother off and stood tall in front of her.  
"You can call me Brutus" He said with a salute and a wink.  
Duendei smoothed the fur on her paw as a distraction from the wink. She was sure she was blushing again.  
Pounce, once again, swung out of a tree to take his older brother down.  
"Get back to task, Brutus- Duendei's nickname."  
From underneath Pouncival, she heard Brutus croak  
"How about Dee?"  
Duendei wrinkled her nose and Pounce laughed.  
Pounce said something like 'Doo-doo', but it was muffled by "OOF" as Brutus hurled him off and sprang into a low hanging branch on a willow tree.  
From there, he peered out at Duendei.  
"What about Wendy" He said, thinking of the pretty child from Peter Pan.  
Duendei thought for a moment, but shook her head.  
"Endei?" Pounce suggested, his tail still draped over his head.  
Duendei laughed at him, and managed to work a 'no' into the laugh.  
"Duei?" Brutus said, flipping down from the tree.  
Duendei considered that. It was pretty. But Pounce gave a jolt and cried to the pair  
"Du!"  
At this, Duendei thought of the dew droplets that nestled on her fur on winter mornings and smiled. She liked that nickname. Duei wasn't so bad either.  
She nodded exuberantly at the brothers.  
"Du it is!" Brutus said.

Introductions completed, they played for a bit; Duendei with her fast feet dodging every tackle that either of the boys threw at her. All their laughter could be heard from the junkyard and eventually attracted some of the older cats.  
Mid tackle, Pounce was snatched up into a crushing hug from Electra as Etcetera snuck up on Brutus. Brutus saw Etcetera coming, and sprang out of the way... straight into Jemima's waiting arms. He complained until she let him go... into Etcetera's arms. Duendei sat and laughed, clutching her weary stomach as Jemima and Etcetera took turns smothering him in hugs and kisses and ruffled his ears. A childish pout never left his face, save to smile as he spotted Duendei rolling about in stitches.  
It was only when the pink glow of the sunset shrouded them all that Jemima declared that they should all head home.

But Duendei could not complain about going home that night.  
For as she slept out under the stars by her pond, she had among her meagre possessions two new friends and a nickname.


	3. Shatter

**I don't own CATS I own Duendei and I suck at ANs. :)**

**Thank-you, that is all.**

* * *

Duendei woke and watched as the last of the sunlit mist twirled about the rooftops. Shaking the dew from her coat with a new appreciation for it, she cleansed herself and sat contentedly among the roses.  
Today she would seek out Pounce and Brutus again!  
Trotting to the back porch of Tantomile and Coricopat's house, she gratefully devoured the food their human often left out for her. Full and warm, she made a beeline for the edge of the garden, keen to go and ask Etcetera where she could find the toms.  
"Not so fast, Duendei!" Tantomile's voice stopped her in her tracks.  
"I'm not Duendei anymore!" Duendei said, too joyful to worry about Tantomile stopping her from leaving.  
Tantomile gave her a withering look.  
"Then who are we today, young kit?"  
"I'm Du!" She chirped.  
"Du? What was wrong with Duendei?" Tantomile said in an impressively motherly tone.  
"Nothing. It was just such a mouthful." She said, quoting Pounce. "Pounce and Brutus gave me a nickname." She beamed at Tantomile, proud and feeling jittery again at the mention of her new tom cat friends. Perhaps Brutus in particular.  
Tantomile sighed.  
"I wondered how long it would take you to get mixed up with those two." She smiled.  
Duendei allowed Tantomile to lead her inside where she sat so Tantomile could fix up her rough cleaning job. She had all day to find the boys.  
"Tumblebrutus was one of the first cats to see you." She said, in a kind, nostalgic tone.  
"Really?" Duendei said, trying to turn to look at her mother. But Tantomile stilled her.  
"Yes. He held you when you were small enough to fit in my paw. He said you were very pretty." Duendei swished her tail happily as a shiver ran through her body. He'd said she was pretty?  
"Wow. Why was he there?" She inquired.  
Tantomile paused, and Duendei felt her stiffen.  
This time Tantomile didn't stop her from turning to look at her.  
"What's wrong?" She asked.  
There was a long, tense silence before Tantomile answered.  
"There's something I need to explain to you. Before you figure it out for yourself." Tantomile's tone had gone from kind and motherly to guilty and guarded. Duendei sat and swished her tail, worry creasing her brow. She didn't like Tantomile's tone and the fact that she wouldn't lift her golden eyes to Duendei's own mint ones.  
"Tanti?" She encouraged, trying to catch her gaze.  
Tantomile sighed, still looking at the ground.  
Another pause.  
"Surely you've realised by now that Cori... Coricopat and I aren't your parents." She said, her voice shaking.  
At this, Duendei gasped, and placed both paws over her mouth, rocking back on her paws. This was not what she had expected.  
Tantomile deflated, and reached out to comfort her, but her arm fell back in defeat as the tears spilled out of Duendei's wide, horrified eyes.  
"Beaue, you _must_ have noticed. I am Coricopat's sister, not his mate. And you look nothing like us..." Tantomile jumped to her own defence, seeking to make it easier on the both of them. Her words did not mean to be harsh, but each new confirmation was a dagger through Duendei's chest. She still had not remover her paws from her mouth. She couldn't, for fear she might wail.  
"Beaue... Duendei... I'm sorry." Tantomile said, tearing up herself.  
"I should have told you earlier. I should have-"  
But Duendei had broken. She had sprung to her feet and sprinted away as fast as her feet could carry her.  
She leapt into the first bush outside of Tantomile and Coricopat's backyard, disappearing so that Tantomile could not stop her. She ran, her eyes blurred by tears, her instinct guiding her paws.  
Twisting round corners and leaping for the next line of bushes across the paths, she headed for the secluded side of the Junkyard where she could calm down, cry and think. Of course this hadn't crossed her mind yet; now there was only pain driving her.

As she leapt through a narrow gap in an alley to the next lot of bushes, she pulled a sharp turn and stopped dead as she nearly tumbled out onto a path where two cats stood in a quiet conversation.  
Alonzo and Coricopat.  
She edged closer as to hear their words clearly.  
"-talking about telling her for ages. Tanti thinks it's best to wait until she starts to ask. Says she's not mature enough yet to deal with the knowledge. Personally I think if we get to her young, she'll have a better chance of understanding and fitting in."  
Alonzo spoke after Coricopat.  
"But what about her parents? If the rumours are true-" Coricopat cut him off.  
"If they are true, then things will sort themselves out. Her heritage is not something we can spread around- she'll never be looked at the same. Any relationship to Macavity round here is not something people overlook..."  
There was a roughness to Coricopat's tone as he uttered the condemning words about her heritage. Duendei gasped softly, unable to believe at all that she might be who they thought she was. It had to be a rumour- as Coriopat had said. But the possiblity rattled her already shattered hearts, sending the pieces colliding with each other. She shook the fuzz from her mind and darted off again, seeking the calming sadness of being alone.


	4. Kid

**Hoorah for boring ANs!**  
**Guess what-**  
**I don't own CATS. T.S Elliot does. So Does Andrew Lloyd Webber.**  
**I do own Duendei though. And Jigyond!**  
**Who's that you're thinking?**  
**Read on and see...**

* * *

Duendei let her pain guide her feet, unable to stop for fear she might dissolve away.  
Her tears clouded her eyes and no cats were in sight to console her.  
Good. She did not want their pity.  
Or did she?  
Did she just want someone to tell her she wasn't alone? That she wasn't the daughter of the Hidden Paw?  
She'd heard terrible things about Macavity.  
All his horrid deeds, from the catnapping of Old Deuteronomy to the catnapping of Jemima's tiny sister Artemis.  
He was a terrible cat!  
There was no way he was her father. It just wasn't possible! What kind of cat would mate with Macavity?  
After all, what had Cori said? It was just a rumour. And if Coricopat didn't believe it then it couldn't be true!  
Duendei shook her head and focused on her surroundings. She had stopped, and now the dampness was seeping into her paws. It was almost dark; she had been wandering all day. But now she faced a new dilemma; she was lost.  
Duendei flattened her ears and twirled her head around, desperate for a single sight that was familiar. The pink hue of the sunset that had been cast over the buildings gave them an eerie, unforgiving look and the cold breeze that fluttered through chilled her small frame to the core and whipped leaves up around her face.  
As the wind died down, she strained to hear back to the junkyard, listening for her name. It was unlikely that Tantomile would have given up looking for her. But then again, maybe she no longer cared?  
Duendei's chest began to heave as pain welled up once more, and she shook it away, darting forward toward the curb in escape.  
It was then that she spotted the side of a pub- the red bricks surrounded by greying cement and a thatched roof- this was the pub near home!  
She bounded down the side street, momentarily lost in the exhilarating knowledge that she wasn't lost. As she bounded round the second corner of the old building she skidded to a stop. This was not the right pub- instead of opening out onto a stone courtyard; this was met with a damp, smelly, foggy dead end.  
Duendei began to pant, panic flooding her system like and icy rain and she flicked her head around.  
Her breath caught in her throat as a terrifying new sound mingled with her whimpers.  
A low growl.  
Duendei turned to run, but did not get far when a slobbering dog burst out from behind a mess of bins. He landed in her path and directed his large fangs toward her head. Duendei dodged, but her escape was again thwarted by another of the brutes, just behind the first. Peering past the second she saw another behind that one. In all, there were three British Bulldogs between her and life.  
She began to back up, and the dogs appeared to grin and exchange glances.  
"Well, well, well… What do we have here?" One dog chuckled. It sounded as if he were talking past a chunk of meat lodged in his throat. He took one threatening step toward her and sniffed the air.  
Duendei froze and hissed softly at the dogs, narrowing her eyes.  
"I reckon I'ss supper, Snagry." The furthest back dog said- her voice was tinny, but as watery as the first's.  
"Mmmm" The first dog crooned, allowing his wet tongue to loll out before him. Spit dripped off each side.  
"She won't pu' up much o' a foight, Snaaag," The last dog said, his slow drawl echoing about the alley. "C'mon. Let's rip 'er."  
Duendei pulled up her head, puffed out her chest and let fly with the most vicious hiss she could muster.  
Even she was disappointed with the results. The dogs stood in silence a moment, before bursting into raucous laughter.  
Given the distraction, Duendei darted for the only sizeable gap in the mass of canines. But the Pekes were too fast for her, too numerous, and she was flung back into place by the massive paw of one of the dogs.  
"Not so fast," The one who'd been called Snagry purred as Duendei regained her breath. "Now it's my turn." And with that Snagry unleashed a roar of a growl that stood every hair on Duendei's body on end and before she had more than a moment to react, he darted forward and sunk his teeth into the back of her neck.  
Duendei shrieked in pain, and the other's dogs snapped at her legs as Snagry shook her from side to side. She was released, and her momentum carried her crashing the pile of bins, where she scampered to hide among the litter.  
"Yarlog! Yarlog! Over here!" The tinny voice of the female guided the heavy footsteps of the slow dog named Yarlog toward Duendei's right and she shimmied away from the noises, further between bins.  
"I can't see her, Ruin!" Yarlog drawled. "Where'd ya' lob 'er Snag?"  
"This way." Snagry's voice was clipped and sharp. His nose prodded in-between the bins, tipping one over with a formidable crash. Duendei gasped, and the black nose swivelled in her direction. In the darkness, a crooked smile that smelled of rotting meat lit up in the darkness before her. The dog's foul breath washed over her.  
"Gotcha." The phantom teeth clamped down on one leg of the kitten and she mewed pitifully in pain. The blood loss had made her head spin, and only desperate survival caused her to scrabble at the dirt for a foothold. Snagry flung her back out into the alley, and she hit the wall with a sickening thud which roused cheers from the other dogs. Yarlog lunged for her with eager jaws, but was held in check by a domineering swipe from Snagry.  
"Oi! Snagry! Don't hog the little rat!" the female; Ruin, spat. Snagry simply snarled at her.  
"Yeaahhh. Is our turn now!" Yarlog droned.  
"I have a better idea." A new voice called through the alley. Disorientated, the three Pekes spun their heads, looking for the disembodied voice.

There was fear and confusion in the eyes of the three pekes as they searched for the voice, and it quickly dissolved into malice and glee as the voice's body melted out of the shadows.  
The newcomer was another dog; but this one stood only a little taller than the average jellicle.  
They then began to laugh as the little dog trotted forward and demanded in a determined voice that they leave Duendei alone.  
Ruin spat at the smaller dog, while Snagry looked on with contented eyes.  
"I'm sure she doesn't mind, do you sugar?" Duendei managed a feeble hiss, but blood sprayed from her lips. The newcomer looked concerned.  
"Don't you dare, or I'll-"  
"Don't what?" Snagry chuckled cruelly. "Do this?"  
And with that, Snagry placed one huge paw down on Duendei's head and raked his teeth down the side of the kit's body. Her screams were terrible.  
They were drowned out by the yelp of the lead dog, whose massive paw was removed from her skull. When the pain cleared, Duendei peered around to see that Snagry- who now bore a painful looking bite mark on his eyelid- had bowled over Yarlog in his pain. The newcomer stood atop a rubbish bin, scanning the confusion for the ginger and white kit. Springing down, he darted through the yowling dog's legs and pulled up beside Duendei.  
"This is gonna hurt, kid. Just don't cry out, if you can." He wormed his nose under her side and lurched forward so that the kit's battered body rolled onto his back. Searing pain ran the length of Duendei's body and she lolled to the side, trying not to squeal. Blood dripped down over her nose and off her ears, and tears of fright escaped her eyes.  
The little dog muttered an apology and shot into the rubbish bins, narrowly avoiding the fangs of the female Peke.  
"Snagry! The little runt's shot into them bins!" She cried.  
The lead Peke's voice was pained.  
"They can't stay in there forever. We'll get them."  
But as he spoke the small brown and white dog was weaving his way through the bins to a wooden fence that bore a hole just big enough for the dog. Whimpering, he shoved Duendei through the hole, admiring the way she clamped down on her cries of pain.  
"Here we go kid- smooth sailing form here." He said, but it didn't sound convincing.  
"Wh-why did you tr-ry to save me?" Duendei choked as the pain settled back down from excruciating to bearable once more.  
"Would you rather I'd left you?" The dog retorted.  
"Nno." She replied, and fell silent.  
"I hate those mongrels as much as anyone. And you don't deserve the fate they had planned." Duendei shuddered and thought perhaps she might be receiving it anyway. She was bleeding profusely and already she had stained the dog's back red.  
"I'm in tro-troubl-le." She stammered.  
"I know kid. Try not to think about it." Duendei could have laughed. Try not to think about it? Yeah- try telling the dawn not to break.  
"My name's Jigyond" The dog said, trying to distract her.  
"I'm -Duendei… What kind of a n-name is Jigyond?" Duendei immediately felt bad, and suddenly feared that Jigyond might put her down and finish her off where she fell.  
Instead he laughed.  
"Dogs and Cats view names very differently, kid."  
Duendei didn't know what to say after that, so she fell silent. She suddenly realised that she was leaving a trail of blood behind them clear as day.  
"Won't the pekes be able to follow our trail?" She said. The pain was so constant now that she just spoke through it.  
"Those Pekes are dumb animals. I led them around a block back there where the trails crossed. No doubt they'll follow the trail back to the fence rather that toward us. Hopefully we'll be long gone by then." He chuckled.  
Duendei realised then that she didn't know where they'd been going or where they were headed. Fear took her again as she imagined she was being taken back to Jigyond's lair to be eaten.  
Timidly, she asked-  
"How do you know where we're going?"  
Jigyond chuckled again, and Duendei promised herself that she was imagining the malice in the laugh.  
"I'm following your scent." He replied.  
Her scent?  
"You can smell me?" She asked, incredulously.  
"Yeah!" He laughed back at her.  
"But I haven't been here for hours!" Truthfully, she didn't remember being here at all.  
"It doesn't matter- I could trace your scent all the way back to your bed." Duendei shuddered.  
"Can the Pekes trace me too?" She whimpered.  
"Yes. But they wouldn't. They wouldn't dare incur the wrath of… the Rumpus cat." Duendei laughed, blood flecking the back of Jigyond's neck.  
"The Rumpus cat?" She asked.  
"He is only in legends… but most dogs stay away from the Jellicle tribe for fear of arousing his anger. No dog has braved the sewers near the Jellicle Junkyard since the Aweful Battle if the Pekes and the Pollicles." Jigyond sounded genuinely intimidated by the hairy stray.  
"Now! I can get you back to the junkyard, but If I'm to get you _home_ then I'm going to need you to tell me how I can get in without being attacked by the Ru- the other cats…" Jigyond slowed to a walk, which, after the steady beat of his lope rolled new pain into Duendei's wounds.  
Duendei gasped as the pain clouded her vision.  
"Ooh… On second thought- you're gonna need a nurse, not home." Jigyond said, that odd concern back in his voice.  
"Jenny." Duendei said, trying desperately to keep thoughts of the pain and her odd rescue at bay.  
"But she's right at the heart of the Junkyard." Duendei said, dismayed.  
"Can anyone get us in?" Jigyond said, still seeming utterly composed despite the bleeding cat on his back.  
Duendei thought longer about this one. Who did she trust? She didn't know who she'd be able to find. Then she thought of someone who could find _her_.  
"Coricopat!"  
"Copy-what?"  
"Coricopat" Duendei reiterated.  
"I'm not even going to try and pronounce that." Jigyond laughed.  
"Come on. It's easy. Try- Cori-co-pat"  
"Copy corat" he tired. Duendei laughed and gave up.  
"Hey. When you can pronounce my best friend's name, I promise I'll master Corpy-corrit."  
"Well, what's your friend's name then?" Duendei huffed.  
The name began with a 'k' and then consisted of several growls and 'uff's that flowed together to form a name. Duendei shook her head in baffled silence. Jigyond laughed again.  
"But we just call him Khan for short."  
"Well Khan I can manage! But how on earth do you expect me to pronounce the full version!"  
But Jigyond had stopped laughing.  
He'd even stopped moving.  
"What's wrong, Jigyond?" Duendei said, concerned as she felt the hairs on Jigyond's back bristle.  
"Please tell me that's Copy-Rat?" Jigyond said in a serious tone.  
Duendei craned her neck, bracing herself against the pain to see ahead.  
There was a Jellicle emerging from the sewers up ahead. The Jellicle's head swung from side to side as he searched in desperation for a small ginger and white kitten.  
Swinging his head in the direction of the pair, he froze, a hiss bursting from his lips.  
He had found the kitten- splayed across the back of a dog.  
And he looked mad as hell.  
But it wasn't Coricopat.  
It was Tumblebrutus.


	5. Rage

Duendei lay helpless on Jigyond's back as Brutus's lip curled up over his teeth. He flicked out his claws, and began the terrifyingly short run between the end of the drain and where Jigyond stood.  
"Stop! Wait! I'm not hurting her!" Jigyond yelled, but Brutus was deaf to his pleas.  
Duendei opened her mouth to protest also, but the collision of cat to dog knocked the cry from her throat and the air from her lungs.  
Flipping in midair, Brutus landed crouched in front of Duendei. Not taking his eyes off Jigyond, he bent and put a hand on Duendei's shoulder.  
Jigyond was hopping about on the spot, trying to clear the pain from his head as he nursed a gash on his shoulder where Brutus had caught him.  
Duendei mewed softly, trying to catch Brutus's attention, but Brutus was focused solely on the dog before him. His fur was puffed out and a rumbling warning growl was emanating from him.  
Jigyond backed away from the cats, and Duendei silently willed him to run. But Brutus appeared to want Jigyond to pay for what he had supposedly done, for his growl turned into a yowl as he launched himself after the dog.  
Jigyond's quick feet saved him, and he dodged the large patchy tom as he threw himself forward.  
"Stop, Jellicle! I… saved your friend, Duendei!" Jigyond yelled at him, desperate to make Brutus listen.  
"It was a gang of Pekes that did this to her!" He dodged another swipe from Brutus. "Look at those injuries; they are too big for the likes of my teeth and claws.  
Brutus paused, unsure. He may have been mad with rage, but Brutus was intelligent and would not ignore reason in favour of hatred.  
Brutus, still alert, turned to view Duendei's injuries. Duendei simply lay, staring with her glazed mint eyes at her friends.  
"She needs help, not vengeance" Jigyond said softly, staying a safe distance away from the cat.  
"You didn't do this?" Brutus stammered, still fighting his anger.  
"No." Jigyond answered strongly.  
Brutus cast a very apologetic look at the dog, and then immediately swooped to pick up Duendei.  
"Come on." He said to Jigyond. "I'm sure Tantomile and Coricopat will want to thank you." He said, sheepishly.  
And with no more than an awkward pause, Dog and Cat, so recently fighting, were walking side by side toward the junkyard.

Duendei watched from Brutus's arms as they passed through the junkyard. The other cats did not attack Jigyond; given that it was Brutus who led him in, but there were outraged and shocked hisses as he passed them. Jigyond walked with tension, his tail down, his head low. His eyes darted from place to place as Jellicles emerged from the shadows to view the strange trio.  
Some Jellicles spotted Duendei and gasped in horror, darting close to see her before reeling away in disgust from Jigyond and his canine scent.  
Others ran ahead to alert Jenny and Tantomile.  
Coricopat joined them after a time, seemingly unaffected by the Pollicle that walked beside them.  
They reached Jennyanydots and Tantomile who stood with her hands clasped in front of her chest in worry. Jenny gently took Duendei from Brutus's gasp and carried her into the yard.  
The last thing Duendei saw before she was taken away was Tumblebrutus staring after her, torn between guilt and worry as he tried to wipe Duendei's blood from his front. 


	6. Jealousy

Duendei walked out onto the sunny grass, swaying her hips but wincing as her wounds flared up under the movement. She twisted her dancer's frame, gently, and examined the healing bite marks. Jenny had done a wonderful job in fixing them; she had saved Duendei's life. They would scar horribly, but it would not affect her movement. Besides- Duendei's long silky fur would soon cover them when it grew back.

Duendei strolled her way out into the sunniest patch of Jenny's backyard. Today was her first day on her feet again. Jenny had said she could go outside and soak up some sun and fresh air as long as she stayed at the house.  
"That sway is coming along _very _nicely, Little one." A suave, seductive voice purred behind her. Duendei spun round with a pained gasp to see Admetus drop down from a tree into Jenny's yard. Duendei grinned shyly as he looked her up and down.  
"I heard what happened. How are you feeling?" He asked in a more serious tone.  
"Not great." she admitted. "It still hurts- and I'll have these ugly scars forever..." She said bowing her head. Admetus tenderly lifted her chin and peered into her wide eyes. He squatted before her, and Duendei's heart beat quickened as he placed his paws gently on her waist. He slowly spun her on the spot, examining the worst damaged area on her lower back.  
While her back was to him, she afforded herself a goofy grin and a blush.  
Admetus twirled her back round to face him and smiled.  
"You won't even know they're there soon. Unless you get _very_ _close_." His sentence became slower towards the end and he took a step toward Duendei. "And then... then they become _very_ sexy." Something in Admetus's tone caused her stomach to fold in on itself in nervous somersaults. But in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but imagine it were Brutus here with her.  
She frowned to herself now, confused by her heart.  
"What's wrong?" Admetus said; his voice still low and sultry.  
Duendei jolted a little, suddenly self conscious of her thoughts.  
"I dunno... I guess I'm just... a little guilty." She stammered.  
"What for?" He asked, intrigued.  
"Poor Brutus... He was hurt because of me." She said, remembering all the blood on his pelt. Her throat tightened.  
"Tumblebrutus is a big kitten. He can look after himself." Admetus sniffed, clear coldness in his voice. Duendei eyed him with suspicion.  
"Isn't he your friend?" She asked- remembering when Admetus used to head off to see the brothers.  
"I suppose." Admetus's tone was no warmer.  
Duendei lapsed into silence, unsure of what to say.  
She'd been friends with Admetus for a long time. The first time she'd been kicked out of Tantomile and Coricopat's house she'd wandered the streets until Admetus had found her. It had been cold, and she had been shivering- so they'd slept curled around each other; sharing their heat. It seemed so innocent to Duendei- with Admetus. She thought to herself what it would be like to sleep curled up with Brutus. Somehow that seemed less innocent... and a lot more enticing.  
As if summoned by her thoughts, Brutus flipped over the fence into Jenny's yard. Admetus stiffened behind her, and moved closer to Duendei. When Brutus saw Admetus, his whole posture changed. He seemed taller, older. In his paw he was holding a pink daisy.

"Brutus!" Duendei cried out happily. He had stopped moving and was eyeing Admetus with a cold expression that mirrored Admetus's tone of voice. Duendei wondered whether the pair had had a fight.  
He began walking again as she called out.  
"Duendei! How are you?" He still sounded as mature as he now appeared, and she suddenly felt very young.  
Too young, perhaps.  
She started toward him. Drawing closer, she realised that she didn't know what she intended to do once she reached him. So she slowed.  
"How are you? You were hurt!" She squeaked and scanned his body for injury.  
He gave a humourless laugh.  
"No- I'm fine." She reached him and he caught Duendei's arms and held her wrists, gently, to stop her nervously rubbing her arms.  
"But the blood..." She murmured. Her panicky mind flashed to Jigyond; the fight by the tunnels. But before she could comment, Brutus's concerned tone snapped her back.  
"Du... That blood was... yours." Duendei snapped her mint eyes up and stared into Brutus's hazel eyes. She saw the worry, as Duendei's ears twitched nervously, and her eyes widened to orb like globes.  
"See, I told you he was fine." Admetus cut in, walking up beside the pair. He stared at Brutus's paws, which still lightly held Duendei's own, and the flower. Brutus tightened his grip, and leaned toward Duendei.  
Duendei didn't know what was going on, but she suddenly had a desperate urge to worm her way out of this tense situation.  
"Who's the flower for, Brutus?" She said, twisting one paw free to pat the petals.  
He handed her the flower.  
"For Jenny's patient, of course" He said, smiling as she smelled the flower. It bore no perfume, but Duendei's imagination conjured a sweet scent she remembered from Cetty's garden.  
Admetus shifted uneasily, as the situation began to spin out of his control.  
"Don't you have guard shifts to be doing?" He snapped at Brutus.  
"No. Alonzo took over mine so I could check on Duendei. I was the one to find her after all." There was a hint of superiority tainting his tone now, and Duendei was worried a fight would break out. Yep- something had definitely come between these two.  
"Well wait your turn, I was talking to her first."  
It was then that Brutus let go of Duendei's other paw and slid an arm around Du's shoulders. He cast a sneer at Admetus and Duendei froze as she realised what had come between them.  
Her.  
Admetus's lip curled up at Brutus as he pulled her away from Admetus. A low growl was building in his throat and Brutus began to reciprocate the growl.  
Brutus let his gaze drop and wheeled Duendei around to walk her away.  
That's when Admetus snapped. His growl burst from his throat and he lashed out at Brutus's back, raking his claws across his shoulder. Duendei gave a cry as she saw the blood flow from the wound, and scampered away from Brutus. Immediately she regretted it, as this gave Brutus the space to launch a counter attack on Admetus. He slashed at him, aiming more at air than flesh. Admetus lashed again and Brutus dodged, running his claws down Admetus's arm as he drew back.  
When the iron pang hit Duendei's nose, she shook herself and darted in-between the fighting Toms. Brutus dropped back and sheathed his claws, but Admetus lunged at Brutus a final time, connecting instead with Duendei and opening up a new gash along her forearm.  
With a shriek, Duendei cradled her arm to her and backed away.  
Brutus began to growl at Admetus again, and before either Tom could stop her, Duendei swung herself, with much pain, over the fence and disappeared into the shrubs.


	7. Naturally?

**Hey guys,  
Sorry about the reeeeaaalllyyy bad last chapter of Du's story. I promise I'll fix it eventually. Just wanted to get the story rolling again.  
So now I'll swing into the next chapter and hope I get better...  
No promises...  
Oh! And I also want to send out a thanks to a mystery SAMANTHA who left a love-er-ley review on my last chapter: She signed the review but wasn't logged in, so I couldn't message her. Hope she enjoys this chapter too!  
And thanks to all my other love-er-ley (and patient) reviewers and watchers! It's hard to find time to write in year 12...**

**By the way; I desperately want to include another of my OCs in this story, but he's not related to the jellicle world at all, so I have to work him in in a bit of a crazy way... Please, readers, bear with me; as this may get a little retarded. But I guarantee you this OC will be worth it. He's pretty darn cool. But I will have to up the rating to cover some of the things he will undoubtedly say...  
Prepare to meet Skop...**

* * *

Du ran until the pain made her collapse; blinded by her tears of agony and fear. She feared the sharp turn her life had taken. One minute she was a young, innocent kitten, who maybe fancied a tom and the next- she had two toms fighting over her.  
Where had this come from?  
She hadn't seen herself change. She hadn't seen the world nudge her into this path. She'd simply woken up there; feeling more bruised and battered than the day after her attack.

Sure, when she thought about it; she did want this. Maybe not the two-tom thing- but Brutus, definitely. But then why did her stomach fold itself violently whenever she thought of what was happening?

Duendei sighed in dismay, and tenderly rolled onto her side.  
Unlike her last little misadventure, Duendei found herself in a familiar place; a forest behind the junkyard full of terrifyingly tall trees and moist air.  
However, she was deeper in than she'd ever been before. And she was alone.

Duendei smoothed out the new worry filling her, as she knew that from here she could find her way home.  
Relaxing, she decided to stay here for a while and work out her stress.  
Duendei raised herself gingerly to her feet, and padded toward the sound of running water she could hear.  
Her wounds flared under the movement, but the fact that she wasn't bleeding was a good sign.

She reached the small brook, leaning carefully over the water to drink and wash the sleep from her eyes. Where the water slowed, she took in her reflection.  
Her eyes were bloodshot with pain and tears- the run taking too much from her body. Her head fur was terribly messy, and her coat was all sleep ruffled and grotty.  
She felt ashamed of her appearance.  
So she slipped into the brook and didn't emerge until she felt respectable.

Emerging feeling loads better than she had, Duendei tried to settle her still rolling stomach with some good old lavender. She wandered up a makeshift path toward the sight of some purple bushes in a clearing. As she clambered over a fallen log, she caught the scent and froze.  
Canine.  
Her little heart pounded in her chest as she scented the air, and listened; awaiting the attack.  
She didn't know what type of dog the scent belonged to, but only knew that she never wanted to encounter another dog in her lifetime.

She wasn't able to process that the scent was entirely different to any canine she'd come across before; to her, canine was canine.  
And the phantom pains in the wounds on her body would never let her forget it.

She finally decided that there was no imminent attack waiting for her behind the log, so she slipped back over the way she had come...  
...And came face to face with a large black snout, dipped and ready to attack.

Panic, and a strange sense of anger, lit up every hair on her body, and without caring about the consequences; she let out all her stress into one ferocious hiss, burying her claws into the muzzle of the foreign dog.  
It released an equally blood curdling yowl and flung Duendei aside. She landed surprisingly well, with minimal pain to her already broken body. But that wasn't enough- she still couldn't get to her feet in time to avoid the next advance of the black dog's snout.  
It stood over her- Its absolutely massive black frame making even the wondrous trees seem less fantastic in comparison.  
It poked it's muzzle into her stomach, and parted it's terrifying jaws.  
"That _really _hurt." _He_ growled.

No teeth closed around her body, and Duendei hardly dared to breathe. The voice that came from those jaws was not a drawling slur of the peke, nor even the cute cockney songlike tone of Jigyond's kind.  
It was strangely clipped, and well refined. Like a Jellicle's, almost- but still the hint of a growl still backed the voice.  
The black muzzle was attached to a surprisingly handsome face (for a dog) and clear, intelligent magenta eyes shone out of the pitch black fur like neon lights. Between the pointed ears, a patch of lurid red fur streaked its way down the dog's back and along its sleek body where it tipped the bushy tail like flame. Beneath the piercing eyes, were two fanglike triangles of fur; apparently manually dyed red. They broke the dark shadows of his face, giving him form.

"What are you, dog?" Duendei surprised herself with the stability of her own voice.  
The dog stepped off from over her, and snorted. Duendei would've run, but even in mint condition; she'd have never made it far away from this dog, this... _creature._  
"First of all, I am **not **a dog." He snapped, holding his head high.  
Duendei took her turn to snort.  
"No, I can see that. No dog in you at _all._" _Where was this attitude coming from?_ Duendei wondered, willing herself to hush. She was going to get herself killed.  
The dog's sharp eyes met her own; the challenge clear.  
"No, cat. I'm a wolf." He said back; his contempt clear too.  
Duendei's attitude numbed now. What was a wolf?  
"A... a what?" She mumbled.  
"A wolf. W-O-L-F." He said, in a patronising tone. Clearly he was enjoying putting her in her place.  
"I _can _spell, wolf. I've just never encountered your kind before." She said, the attitude bristling once more.  
"I wouldn't expect you would have. Wolves no longer exist in Britain. My father brought us here," The wolf leaned in close, eyes glinting, Duendei froze in fear, expecting sharp teeth around her body.  
"And my father is at least double my size" He said with a wicked grin, before pulling his mouth away.  
Duendei looked at the size of the brute before her and imagined a creature double his size. She noted, with a shudder, that such a creature would tower over even the old car in the junkyard. It would even dwarf the rarely sighted 'Great Dane' dogs of Victoria Grove.

The wolf turned his back on Duendei, gingerly brushing the scratch marks on his nose with a paw. Seeing her opportunity for life, Duendei soundlessly slipped back over the fallen log, and darted off towards the nearest cover. She had barely made it five steps when the wolf knocked her off her feet, standing over her and pinning her with his mere presence.  
Duendei shut her eyes in fear.  
"If you're going to kill me, just do it!" She cried, desperately, after a moment, wanting it to just be over.  
There was a strange silence that followed, and Duendei opened her eyes. The wide magenta orbs belonging to the wolf were staring at her, his brow furrowed.  
"Why would I kill you, cat?" He asked, no joke in his tone; only true curiosity.  
Duendei didn't know what to feel. She had embarrassment chasing fear around her chest while confusion commanded her mind.  
"I thought..." She mumbled incoherently.  
"I merely wanted to know why you were leaving." He said, somewhat sad and offended.  
"You weren't going to kill me?" She said, in disbelief. _Don't push him, Duendei! _  
"N... No..." He still looked confused himself. "Why would you think that?" He asked.  
Duendei carefully rolled herself to show off her worst wounds. Blood had begun to seep out of a couple with the falls she had taken.  
"I got these, last week, from a Peke near this place." She explained. "So forgive me if that's the first thing that comes to mind when I see your teeth..."  
The wolf studied her for a second, before self consciously covering his fangs.  
"What are you doing out here by yourself then?" He eventually asked.  
Duendei was quiet for a moment, thinking back to the scene in Jenny's yard. She cradled the scratches on her arm and looked up at the wolf's inquisitive eyes.  
"My friends are fighting. I got caught in the middle, and I ran." She shuddered as she thought about the fact that she had been 'in the middle' from the start.  
The wolf himself was quiet for a moment too. He then smiled in his strange way and stepped away from Duendei.  
"I think you should return to your friends. No doubt they are horrified at what they've done. I'll take you back." He said, his tail wagging slightly.  
"Are you insane? My tribe-mates would kill you!" Duendei exclaimed. She then paused for a moment and looked him up and down. He gave her a sideways grin as they both acknowledged the stupidity of the statement. If one adult tom couldn't bring down a cat sized Pollicle then a whole tribe wouldn't even be a match for this wolf.  
"Come on." He said, more kindly than anything he'd said before. "I'll pick you up."  
"Wait!" Duendei said, before awkwardly staring at her paws.  
"Can we go to those lavender bushes first?"


End file.
